Vegetable-dispensing case



June 25, 1929.] L- T SUMME 1.718.263

VEGETABLE DISPENSING CASE Filed Mam; 1 7. 192*! INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 25, 1929.

LESLIE T. SUMMERS, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

VEGETABLE-DISPENSING CASE.

Application filed March 17, 1927. 'Serial No. 176,182.

This invention relates to store furniture and fixtures and more particularly to self ventilated dispensing fixtures especially adapted for use in connection with stores wherein the patrons thereof are required to wait upon themselves, .and its principal object resides in the provision of such a fixture having a series of compartments for containing vegetables, such as turnips, carrots, cabbags, potatoes and the like, as well as fruits of various kinds, said compartments being well ventilated by reason of the screened partitions, permitting free circulation of air.

The invention further aims among its objects to provide a fixture as set forth, in which a constant feed of the contents toward the dispensing point is made possible in order to prevent any of the commodity to remain any length of time on the bottom of the bulk to become rotten or decayed, and otherwise maintaining uniform freshness of the commodity.

Another object of the invention resides in certain provisions by which the fixture may be readily filled when its contents are depleted, on the filling of one or more of the compartments without in any way affecting others which are not yet empty.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the extreme simplicity of the invention and the ease and readiness in which the commodity may be removed from the fixture by patrons of the establishmentin which it is used, provision being made to suspend the volume of vegetables or fruit-s against rushing toward the dispensing chute while a patron is serving himself.

With these foremost objects and advantages in view, the invention has particular reference to certain salient features of construction and arrangement of parts by which said objects are attained and which will be enumerated in the course of the following detail description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a fixture constructed according'to the invention, and

Figure 2 is an elevational view thereof in lateral cross-section.

Continuing now more in detail with the drawings, and specifically designating the several parts by reference characters, in Figure 1 is shown the preferred design in a cabinet 1, having at its front, longitudinal superposed bins or receptacles 2 and 3. The

receptacles are so arranged, as shown, as to catch all the commodity tending to gravitate downward by reason of the inclined foraminous supports 4 and 5, respectively communicating with receptacles 2 and See Figure 2. These supports are sustained by braces 6, situated at intervals along the width of the fixture;

A series of partitions 7 are provided, arranged in relative parallelism to segregate various kinds of vegetables and fruits. These partitions extend from the top of each compartment downward to the bottom of the fixture 1, so as to positively prevent mixture of any of the varieties of foodstuff contained within any of the compartment in filling or otherwise.

At the top of the fixture, as shown in Figure 2, is hinged at at: a cover 8, providing collectively a cover for all of the compartments, and by this means, recharging of any of the depleted compartments is made pos sible.

The commodity so placed gravitates downward through openings 22 and 0, into the receptacles 2 and 3 respectively, and due to the screened wall at 9, a display of the contents of each compartment is possible to the purchaser, and by which he may determine the general quality of merchandise contained therein.

As the purchaser selects from the receptacles 2 and 3 the particular kind of merchandise, segregated therein, the inclined plane of thesupports 4 and 5 permits other merchandise to occupy the place of that selected, consequently turning over and over thatcontained in the compartments and permitting none to remain any length of time on thebottom to be bruised by the bulk and become prematurely deteriorated.

Swingingly mounted at the bottom of the fixture is a longitudinal door 10, so provided to permitremoval of trash and the like fall ing through the screen supports 4 and 5. This feature provides for the maintenance of a sanitary display, assuring the purchaser of clean and delectable merchandise.

An added advantage of the invention, in

connection with its apparent pleasing appearance, and economy as to space and otherwise, resides in the provisions for spraying the contents with water to prevent wilting of the vegetables while in display, without in any respect injuring the fixture. F or this purpose, a pan or other suitable receptacle may be conveniently slid under the fixture through the door 10, receiving the water as it penetrates the merchandise and passes through the supports 4: and 5.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable variety and such variation as is in keeping with the appended claim is also considered within the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A combined display and dispensing fixture including a cabinet having a front, a rear and end walls, a foraminous partition extending from the top and the back of the cabinet downwardly to adjacent the bottom thereof in a gradual curve, a second foraminous partition of considerably less length than that of the first partition extending from the top of the cabinet at points spaced from the first partition and from the front wall downwardly in a gradual curve and being secured to the center of the height of the front wall of the cabinet whereby said second partition forms a large compartment in conjunction with the first partition and a smaller compartment in conjunction with the front wall, both compartments opening through the cabinet top, the front wall hav-' ingan opening above and in register with the lower end of each partition, and a receiving bin for each opening. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturei LESLIE T. SUMMERS. 

